Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Arnold is once again back as a terminator, and as the last time his lack of acting skills makes him perfect for the cyborg role. James Cameron both in the chair and behind one of the pens, and this time he came pretty close to perfect the genre.

As in the original The Terminator, Cameron blends CGI, action and suspense with a well told story covering the theme of time travel and future cybernetics all mixed in well. Twenty years later, and this movie still hold up in an ever changing CGI-world. That's quite an achievement, and one none should underestimate.

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Mou gaan dou

I watched Scorsese's remake when it was launched back in the days, but this original actually left an impression (which I honestly can't say about the more known work of Scorsese). It's fast paced and yet with a solid grasp at its plot and storyline, and it's solid acting all over the board.

Scorsese clocked in 50 min slower, and yet he never managed to get this kind of depth to his remake. Wai-keung Lau and Alan Mak have done a terrific job with this movie, and the result is nothing short a work of art.

A highly recommended must see movie.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Kaze no tani no Naushika

One of Hayao Miyazaki's earlier movies, but to me this one stands out as the one he manage to fulfill throughout. There's no doubt this might be one of his movies where his environmental message shines through even more than usual, but the story never suffers from this message.

Nausicaä might be one of the finest characters ever portrayed, and the people of The Valley of the Wind helps build her up.

The animations doesn't come close to what we've later seen from Studio Ghibli, but we got to keep in mind it's 26 years since he made this one. Never the less. The details are quite stunning here as well, especially in the background both in the Valley of the Wind and in the Sea of Decay.

So far my favorite animated movie, and these days that's actually beginning to say something as I keep exploring the masterpieces of the past.

The Third Man (1949)

The Third Man

I didn't quite buy lead actor Joseph Cotten in all his scenes, but that's the only non-spoiler objection. The rest of my objections keeping it from a top score, I'll keep to myself to ensure not ruining what still is a remarkably great movie.

Vienna post WWII is truly a stunning scenery for this movie. The bombed architecture, the four parts of town controlled by different country's forces and the language problems. What's more; director Carol Reed knows how to use it to its fullest effect. He also spends a lot of time achieving magic with the use of shadows, whether it's scenes where people are running or hiding.

The dialogues are great, and I love the way it uses German often enough by native Vienna people, rather than making it unrealistic by everyone speaking English. The supporting cast is great, also those you really can't understand if you don't speak German, as their tone and body language gets it through.

The Third Man is no doubt a must see movie experience everyone should enjoy.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2007)

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

In Search of a Midnight Kiss is a no-budget indie movie with the unknown director Alex Holdridge, and unknown leads in Scoot McNairy and Sara Simmonds, helped by executive producer Anne Walker-McBay whom co-produced and produced in movies like Dazed and Confused and Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. The two later is rather important, as this indie is molded much in the same way as the story of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's characters from those.

This movie does however stand on its own, as the unfamiliar actors in the leads helps us relate to them as the story progress. Both Simmonds and McNairy are doing their job very well, even though you might feel differently until their characters get under your skin. At least that's how it was for me, and they sure managed to get well beyond my skin.

Thanks to great location and camerawork, we're taken on a New Years Eve-ride through LA that I'm not about to forget soon. Something tells me the memory of their characters Wilson and Vivian, will stay with me for many New Years Eve's to come. That's something few movies trigger.

I don't think this movie is for everyone, but it sure hit home with me. Give it a chance, and it might very well repay you with a long lasting memory.

Lost in Translation (2003)

Director: Sofia Coppola
Writer: Sofia Coppola
Cast: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Farris
Genre: Drama, Romance

Lost in Translation is written and directed by Sofia Coppola, and she had Murray in mind the entire time she wrote. At least that's what she's said, even stating the movie would never have been made if Murray turned it down. Who can blame her? Murray is a perfect cast for the part, and few if any others could have pulled it off. He got the right balance between funny, likable and deep, and it's what's needed to be convincing for the part.


Johansson's hype might have started of earlier, but this was the movie that launched her into another league. She's fantastic in this role, managing to give depth to the character without so many words. Her beauty have never been up for discussion, but after finally watching this movie I know understand the fuzz about her talent a lot better.


Following her full length debut (The Virgin Suicides) four years earlier, Sofia Coppola delivers an extremely deep movie springing from relationships, touching on several key aspects of life. Set at a familiar set of an unfamiliar hotel, our leading roles are lost on so many levels. It's quite extraordinary how Coppola at such an early stage of her career manages to deliver such a profound movie.


There's not a lot of action going on, and not even a lot of dialogue. This is more about atmosphere, human emotions and expressions and a movie that will keep you as awake as the leading characters find them self at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. One of those rare movies were all the fuzz is well deserved, were descriptions will never truly manage to give justice and were Hollywood for once does so well the kind of movie we're more used to see coming out of Europe. Highly recommended!

Winter's Bone (2010)

Director: Debra Granik
Writer: Novel: Daniel Woodrell Screenplay: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Winter's Bone follows in the mold of movies like Frozen River, Snow Angels and all the way back to the Coen brothers success Fargo. We got the normal protagonist with real problems, we got an excellent backdrop in her landscape and we got a story which never turns to unnecessary action sequences or cliches to get its point to the center of the frame. In fact. This is quite possibly one of the very few movies ever made that tells a story very similar to a couple of the stories I would be telling if I made movies. I can easily recognize acquaintances in Ree Dolly, Teardrop and the rest of the characters.

Jennifer Lawrence takes on the part as Ree, and does so with a stunning performance. I can't wait to see more of this actress. Neither her, nor the director, feed the overused need of making Ree go all in, and the subtle ways of our protagonist is a main contribution to both why we stay interested and to why the movie works so well. Add very good performances from both John Hawkes (as Teardrop) and Dale Dickey (as Mareb), and you got yourself a solid glimpse of their lives portrayed excellent. The rest of the characters are also done well, and each of them brings us closer to the community's rules and order, as we take the walk with Ree on the wild side of society. Director and co-adapter Debra Granik have done brilliantly in making their society a main character in the story delivered, without it ever feeling forced or patronizing.

Winter's Bone is one of those movies I could go on and on about, but the important message to get out there is this: Highly recommended, a must see, film making the way film making used to portray life more than fantasies and fairy tales.

Cinema Paradiso (1988)(Int)

Original title: Nuevo Cinema Paradiso
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Writer: Giuseppe Tornatore (Story and Screenplay), Collaborating writer: Vanna Paoli
Cast: Philippe Noiret, Antonella Attili, Marco Leonardi, Agnese Nano, Salvatore Cascio, Jacques Perrin, Pupella Maggio
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy

Among all the amazing things about Cinema Paradiso, the one that amazes me the most is the fact this was only the second feature film of director Tornatore's career. I'm not amazed because he managed to make such a great movie so early in his career, as that's not such an unusual feat anymore. I'm amazed because the entire premise, feel and direction of the movie is that of an old man with a lot of experience within the industry. Prior to the success of this movie, it's said Tornatore spoke of it as his obituary to traditional movie theatres and the industry in general. That's spoken like the the movie speaks, and it's amazing he didn't have more movies behind him while saying so.

I watched the international edition of 124 minutes. Next time around I'll watch the longer one, if I can get my hands on it, because this is a celebration of cinema, movie theatres and friendship you don't want to end. While its main focus is on the nostalgia of a theatre and its personal connections, Tornatore have managed to touch on several of the essentials of life as his story progress. While there's a couple of choices you can point towards as flaws or reasons to degrade it, I find the overall accomplishment of Tornatore's efforts such a heartfelt testimonal it should be viewed by all; and if not by all, so at least by everyone with a love for movies.

Groundhog Day (1993)

Director: Harold Ramis
Writer: Story: Danny Rubin Screenplay: Harold Ramis, Danny Rubin
Cast: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

Bill Murray as weatherman Phil, re-lives Groundhog Day over and over again in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.Whatever he does, when a new day starts he finds himself in the same bed at the same B&B and the radio waking him with the same music and the same talk.

Phil being a self-centered and grumpy man, who didn't want to go on assignment to Punxsutawney in the first place, have to re-live his nightmare as a blizzard keeps him there along with his producer Rita and his cameraman Larry.

This is most of all a classic comedy, and Murray is nothing short of excellent in this role. I wish they had cast someone other than MacDowell as Rita, but back then some casting agents thought she had something as she was cast in several roles too good for her. She lacks chemistry with Murray, lacks comedic timing and charm and was one of the reasons I strongly considered dropping my rating down at an eight. Still. The script and Murray is just too good to punish that hard for her part. A don't miss classic comedy.

Show Me Love (1998)

Director: Lukas Moodyson
Writer: Lukas Moodyson
Cast: Alexandra Dahlström, Rebecka Liljeberg, Erica Carlson, Mathias Rust, Stefan Hörberg
Genre: Teen, Drama, Romance

I've always assumed Fucking Åmål (original title) was one of those movies where my impression of it wasn't as much of its quality, but rather of hitting home with its time or even that period of my time. It's always been a personal favorite of mine, but with a rather old VHS-player, I haven't seen it for years now... until today.

Elin is beautiful and popular, but bored to death in the small-town piece of Sweden her hometown Åmål is. She's impulsive, longing for everything there's to discover in the world and she fears nothing more than growing old in Åmål, even thought being like everyone else comes a close second. Agnes sure isn't like everyone else. Her family moved there 18 months ago, she's sad and friendless, and secretly in love with Elin.

We follow these two teenagers lives, comparable as each wants their life to be something else, from their opposite social status in a pre-millennium small town of Scandinavia. Small towns with their teenagers getting wasted at home alone parties, with their floating crushes and the small minded ideals challenging everyone. A place where outsiders like Agnes never fits in and thrill-seekers like Elin never get satisfied. Moodyson have done a real nice job describing growing up in such a town, despite having to use a couple of cliches. I don't mind. There's usually a good reason something becomes a cliche in the first place.

Most of all its a story told with awareness of what he's trying to tell. He could so easily have pitched it as the lesbian girl trying to fit in or as a romantic movie. Thankfully he didn't, and instead we're witnessing a tale of youth, growth, heartbreak, love and everything else a boring small town has to offer, and then some, without going overboard, without pushing an agenda or creating a fantasy. It's just a simple story, told with a lot of talent and even more heart.

WALL·E (2008)

Director: Andew Stanton
Writer: Original Story: Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter Screenplay: Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon
Voice-Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin
Genre: Animation, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Romance, Family

When I first watched WALL·E I wasn't very impressed, and my rating of it did reflect that. However. The continuing hype, and the knowledge of the quality produced by these Pixar people in other movies, made me promise myself to check it out again later. Well. Later is today, and boy was I wrong the first time around. Must have been one of those days, because this movie is brilliant.

The story is simple, futuristic and, as always with these guys, a somewhat cautionary tale suitable for the entire family. Unlike most other animated projects the last decade, this one doesn't rely heavily on witty clever dialogue and layered jokes. They've rather decided on telling their story quietly, almost subtly, relying on great animated work, an eye for details and, maybe more than anything, a lot of heart.

WALL·E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class) is a cleaning robot lonely working at Earth, 700 years after mankind left for outer space due to all the garbage making it inhabitable. The only company WALL·E got is a cockroach, but watching a romantic movie every night he dreams of someone to hold hands with. His usual everyday life gets interrupted with the arrival of a space ship, and we get to follow WALL·E's first new contact in centuries.

Stanton, Docter and the rest of them have outdone them self in this movie, by going in a new direction. Maybe the reason I didn't really get into it the first time around was because I watched it a night I was in the mood for some easy double-layered gags going along great animations. This isn't it. This is more European in its style, once again proving also Americans actually fancy good stories more than anything as it was by far the most liked Pixar movie since the original Toy Story (which I really didn't like, but might have to give a second chance as well), only recently getting competition from that franchise's third installment.

Memento (2000)

Memento was the movie bringing director Christopher Nolan to the public knowledge. A stunning movie who captured audiences with its original storytelling and editing, as well as the original way to tell a mystery crime-drama.

It's got a few limitations, but I'll do the movie injustice to focus on them. The only reason I mention it at all, is the fact I think this movie is perfectly executed within its premises. The reason I rate it nine rather than ten is just the limitations I find within both the story and the created genre.

Like most mystery movies this lose a little on revisits because of your knowledge, but like another classic The Usual Suspects, I find this movie doesn't lose its quality because of it. Some movies would simply be boring or uninteresting on a second viewing after knowing the plot and storyline, but it's a testimony to Nolan's skills when Memento manages to hold on to your attention the second time around.

While the much awaited partnership between Nolan and Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception is making its way towards a theater near me, revisiting Memento and The Prestige have been a treat. I've got to get around to watch Following as well, his feature film low budget debut, but I don't think it'll happen until after his 2010 box office hit.

The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige is a Christopher Nolan project dropped in between the first two Batman movies he made, but also here Christian Bale have one of the leads. The other lead is played by Hugh Jackman, while Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis, David Bowie and most of all Michael Caine supports. It's a great cast, and they've got a very interesting script to work with.

Two magicians at the end of the Nineteenth Century in London, at a time where magic were the highest form of entertainment. They start out as their fellow mentor's helpers, and we get to follow their lives as friendship become rivalry and new tricks to overshadow the other become the holy grail. It's a story about obsession, jealousy, rivalry, revenge, deceit, trickery and about the lengths you'll have to go to succeed, how dirty you got to get your hands while doing it and the everlasting consequences of your choices, just to mention a little and avoid spoilers as best I can.

More importantly the cast is great as well, never dragging the story down, the time-period is accurately depicted and it's once again a story reminding us it's possible to look both great at the surface as well as underneath it all. You just got to want to make such movies, and Nolan does thankfully do that ever so often. Looking back at the decade we've just passed by, to me Christopher Nolan was the most important and the best director of that, just like Quentin Tarantino was for the 90's. Tarantino ended the 00's with his stunning Inglourious Basterds, making sure we still remember just how good he is. Nolan's Inception is making its way through the cinemas now, making sure he still is one of the most interesting directors as a new decade is upon us.

It's still well worth going back looking at his earlier works, and The Prestige is all the way up there very close to Memento.

Sin City (2005)

Sin City is the graphic movie novel based on Frank Miller's graphic novels. Miller himself and Roberto Rodriguez is in charge of direction, with a little help from Rodriguez' old friend Quentin Tarantino. A star packed movie throwing around A-list actors and actresses into supporting bi-parts like rarely ever seen elsewhere. A visual blend of graphic novel style and old fashioned black and white Noir pasted with single rare colors like red, blue, yellow or milky white to light up details like torched. It's so fitting for the story told, the darkly twisted and corrupt Basin City and the characters we follow.

I couldn't even begin to take on the actors or characters. Those not mentioned would unfairly be left out, and those actually mentioned I wouldn't be able to do justice. It's an epic tale told with the help of superstars. Where else would you get actors like Michael Madsen and Elijah Wood to drop in for such small, but still interesting,  parts? Where else do you get the style of Devon Aoki, Carla Gugino and Alexis Bledel dropping bylike they've done here? It's actors, actresses and acting displays worth pages in this movie, and still I feel I've said enough as I couldn't possibly justify singling out any.

The stories told never excuse them self for being graphic in style, never tries to hide its birth in the form of graphic novels and still mix and match in the classic Noir feel with old fashioned detective novel views and a storytelling deeply rooted in another time. They mix the cheesy with poetic lines worthy any masterpiece you could imagine. They mix what feminists probably hate, with deep appreciation for the female form, empathy and a hell of a lot of other stuff. It's bloody, but buried into the graphic novel view. Sin City isn't for everyone, but for whom it might attract; it attracts with depth, style and a firm hand on the delivery. I doubt no-one ever could take on such a movie again, and top this. That speaks a lot when this should be considered a first ever made mixing these genres like here. A modern classic.

Sling Blade (1996)

Director: Billy Bob Thornton
Writer: Billy Bob Thornton (Play & Screenplay)
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday
Genre: Drama

I can't believe I've never been told about Sling Blade. My best guess is it drowned in the aftermath of Forrest Gump as this was released a couple of years later and have a lot of similarities. Still. Sling Blade is the much more realistic and interesting take on things, no matter how much better Robert Zemeckis' and Tom Hank's picture did in box office and at the Oscar. This movie have a darker angle, but equally filled with heart, charm and great acting.

Billy Bob Thornton wrote the play and the screenplay adaption, he directed it and he plays the lead as 'Karl Childers'. This is Billy Bob's one piece for the archives. The movie he should be remembered for. The movie most people only dreams of being involved in, and Billy Bob was involved on every step. 'Karl Childers' is created with an eye and touch for detail and with a lot of heart. It makes the movie both emotional and enjoyably funny. It's also made with a great deal of understanding of everything from small town gossip to abusive people using fear, and it shows in the way the script is balanced and rounded. The details are again what makes it such a grand insight.

I could have said a lot more about this movie, but I'll rather just say this: Buy it, watch it and enjoy it! This is storytelling the way it was meant to. Great acting, great script, great overall story and a lovely touch for all those smaller details.

Edited August 16th, 2010:
I'm in hindsight not certain it deserves 10/10, and have adjusted it down at 9/10 until I revisit it at least.

Léon (1994)

Léon, AKA The Professional, was the movie that brought my attention to both Luc Beeson and Natalie Portman. They've both gone through their ups and downs since then, but Léon is still a remarkable movie 16 years after its release.

The story is original and the acting is superb. Reno, Portman and Oldman is great, and Luc Beeson have directed his own writing to a viewing pleasure. Besides the story, it's also a funny movie. I laughed more from some scenes in this, than I've done watching a lot of comedies.

The combination of character development, humor, story and acting makes this another stroke of genius from the single greatest year in movie history.

The Lives of Others (2006)

Das Leben der Anderen

The Lives of Others won Oscar for best foreign language film of the year in competition with among others the more known Pan's Labyrinth, and is a very interesting movie from writer and director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It takes us back to 1984 and East-Germany. The secret police, Stasi, keeps an eye on everyone and the western influence is anything but welcome.

It's a depressing movie because it paints the picture of the country and time so well, but that's among the reasons it's such a great movie as well. I don't like German. I don't think it's a beautiful language, unlike Spanish, Italian and French, but I really didn't mind this time. It gets the story out even better. The gray feels even grayer in German.

The acting is great. There's no need to take it to the screen with huge emotional acting, and the director is fully aware. They play their parts with the quiet it requires, but it never feel staged, fake or mechanic.

I really don't want to say much about the story. It's not a historical movie about Stasi and their methods. There's a story there about people, but it's an experience I leave for you to discover. It's just an experience I recommend strongly. Well aware of Stasi history during this time, it's still very powerful to get it delivered on screen like in this movie.

I suspect it'll stay with me for quite a while.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

It's been nine years since Moulin Rouge! was released, and I just watched it for the very first time. I know, I got a lot of others to catch up on as well. In my review for Once, I wrote "If I had a stronger connection to music myself, I'd probably find it even better". Keep that in mind as you read on.

Moulin Rouge! has its weaknesses and flaws, but it's a movie aiming for grand, aiming for preposterous, aiming for the extravagant and the insane, and wow! does it succeed. It's a rare experience watching a movie were you can feel a scene grow while you watch it and feel the magic wrap around you and capture you into its spell.

I'm not a man music easily can carry away, but Moulin Rouge! has a power forcing itself on the audience. How often do you watch movies for the very first time, and as you experience a scene you just want to wrap it into a tiny little box and carry it with you in your mind forever? Moulin Rouge! has such scenes.

I'm quite honestly stunned, and I'll not go nine more years until next time I watch it. On first viewing you notice details, but this must be a movie worth studying for more. It's got more than music and more than a story. It's got visual powers and choreography not only in the big scenes, but also in smaller duets and dialogues.

One more thing. Nicole Kidman, I love you.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is undeniably movie history. Sergio Leone's western classic is so much more than a western. It's an epic tale from a time long gone, but never forgotten. There's been to many books written and movies made to ever fade as a romantic fantasy of a time were the most ruthless, the smartest and the quickest ruled.

Were other movies make sure they have enough gunfights to establish just how quick and deadly their lead-characters are, Leone uses more subtle ways of ensuring us these are no common men. Even if the movie is very long, we never doubt their abilities just because there's less shooting than in most movies half its length. I like the faith he has in his audience.

To mention this movie without mentioning the name Ennio Morricone should be a crime. The score of the movie is not to be underestimated as part of its greatness. Morricone haven't got his Oscar win. 5 times nominated for best original music and then the misfortune regarding the missing paperwork for another Leone movie, Once Upon a Time in America, were history feel he was robbed. He did get the honorary award in 2007 for his magnificent and multifaceted contribution to the art of film music.

I don't think I've seen the entire movie before, and unfortunately I feel can't rate it higher than I do after first viewing. There's some flaws to point at, but I'm not going to lie either. Next time around it might be lifted, because this is in my opinion no doubt a truly magnificent piece of movie history.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people think the movie is too long and filled with too little action, but that's their problem. Not the movie's. Expecting an action packed shooting party of a western, and you might be disappointed. Expect an epic story from the western era, and you're in for a real treat.

12 angry men (1957)

I got to admit I'm not really sure if I've seen this movie before, or if it's just because of all those inspired by it who made me fell like I revisited a dear old friend when I watched it last week.

12 angry men is at the moment ranked 7th on IMDB's top 250 list of all time greatest movies, and much deservedly so. 53 years since its release it still sparks. Most of the movie set in a single New York jury room, taking the audience on a dialogue based journey discussing the murder case they are jurors on, and we never feel the need to get out of that room to enjoy that journey.

Whether or not it was original back then, it now feels like something we've all seen before. On the other hand, I still haven't seen it done better. Just the way they change the camera angles and lenses throughout the movie is reason enough to revisit it more than half a century later.

12 very different men, and still they represent the differences seen any place. At your work, in your local gym, at your school or even in the jury taking on your case tomorrow. It might not be as groundbreaking as it might have been back then, but it still nothing less than a classic movie well worth your attention.